Playing the Game
by MariaShadow
Summary: G1 Jazz and the twins get called on to take care of a little something on Cybertron, and the Lambos learn a little more about the black and white's backstory. Rating lifted just in case
1. Chapter 1

Playing the Game

Sideswipe kicked his heels like a misbehaving schoolboy as he waited outside Prime's office, his twin seated beside him.

"Why do you think Prime called us here?" Sunstreaker asked, his tone mildly accusatory.  
"Don't look at me, I haven't done anything for a week." Sideswipe protested. "You sure you haven't stood on a Minibot or something?"  
Sunstreaker scowled. "I think I would have noticed." He replied somewhat irritably.

A rather liberally mud splattered Jazz strode around the corner before Sideswipe could concoct a suitably cheeky reply. "Hey guys, y' got called here too?" he asked curiously.  
"Yup. Dunno why though." Sunstreaker answered. "Do you?"  
"Not a clue." Jazz said, collapsing into the last chair with an exhausted groan. "Man, this has been one looooong day. I never knew th' trails could be like that 'round this time o' year. Th' mud got so bad that Blue' an' me had t' transform an' hoof it. "

"What route didja get?" Sideswipe queried.  
"Hound's favorite, route six." Jazz grimaced, trying to shake some clay out of the wheel wells in his feet.  
"My sympathies." The red twin smirked. "But as they say, better you than me."  
"Har har, very funny." Jazz grumped.

The door to the office slid open and Prowl appeared. "Good, you're here." He said by way of greeting. "Come in."

Once inside and seated, Prowl handed a data pad to each of the trio while Optimus stood and picked up an identical pad from the stacks on his desk. "Yesterday we received a coded transmission from Ultra Magnus on Cybertron." Prime began. "One of his agents discovered a secret Decepticon weapons research facility in the remains of Kalis-Con. They have requested additional help in bringing it down."  
"I'm guessin' this is where we come in?" Jazz queried.

"The three of you will be leaving for Alithex tomorrow, where the command hub is currently stationed." Prowl confirmed. "Further details are contained on your data pads. Secrecy is to be maintained at all times, so please memorise your orders before leaving this room. Until 1700 hours tomorrow you are all on leave, upon which time you are to report to the repair bay for a full pre-mission physical followed by a final briefing."

Jazz, familiar with the routine, scanned through the data within a couple of minutes while the twins took a bit longer. They were duly dismissed and left.

"So…now what?" Sideswipe asked.  
"We take a bit o' time t' unwind." Jazz shrugged. "Just don't do anythin' stupid, 'k? I doubt the Ratch-man wants t' have t' reassemble ya b'fore th' mission."

0o0o0

Sideswipe was feeling distinctly uneasy as they lifted off the next day, and he knew Sunstreaker was as well. This was not at all what they were used to. They were warriors, not Special Ops. Their kind of game was more along the lines of a simple 'go here and shoot that', not the intricate rules that Jazz was expected to play by. Sideswipe fidgeted slightly, chewing his bottom lip anxiously as he stared out the porthole.

Characterised by short attention spans and high energy output, the twins were mechs of action, but also of routine. As improbable as it sounded, they liked routine and order, to know that there were certain constants in life. Routine meant familiar, familiar meant security and security gave them the confidence to pull off the crazy battlefield stunts they were famed for. This grey cloak and dagger world that Jazz, Bumblebee and Mirage inhabited was definitely outside of their comfort zone.

The yellow twin silently reached out and touched Sideswipe's back, gently brushing his fingers across the red shoulders in a soothing manner. Jazz had dozed off almost immediately after Omega Supreme took off, so there was no worry about Sunstreaker's 'tough mech' image being damaged by the unusually tender gesture. Sideswipe returned the action, being as equally careful to not scuff his brother's gloss as Sunstreaker had been.

"Be careful, okay?" Sunstreaker asked quietly.  
"Only if you are." Sideswipe replied, his trademark grin lacking its usual vibrancy. "Deal?"  
"Deal."


	2. Meeting the Players

Part 2- Meeting the Players

The warriors were dropped off outside the outer perimeter of the remains of Altihex, relying on their wheels to get to the rough co-ordinates provided by Ultra Magnus in his initial transmission. Once there, they transformed; weapons out and sensors on high alert.

"So, how do we find this base?" Sunstreaker asked, icy blue optics searching the ruined city warily. Jazz scanned the surrounding area, smiling slightly as he picked up a familiar energy signature.  
"We don't find 'em Sunny." Jazz replied. "They find us." Ignoring the twin's curious glances, Jazz walked over to a dark alleyway and deliberately turned his back on it.

"Whatever y' do, don't shoot." He cautioned. No sooner had he spoken when he was suddenly grabbed from behind, a grey hand seizing Jazz's chin and yanking his head back while a second held a knife to his throat. The twins snapped their guns up instantly, optics searching for a target in the gloom.

"Tacky Jazz, very, very tacky." A female voice chided. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you." She demanded.  
"'Cuz I'm such a nice guy?" Jazz offered with a grin, totally unconcerned at his situation.  
"You never change, do you Jazz?" The still concealed femme laughed. "But I must admit your line delivery's gotten better." She released him and stepped into view. "It's good to see you Jazz." She said, holding out her hand in the standard greeting, which the black and white returned.  
"Same here." Jazz grinned. He turned to the twins. "Sides, Sunny, meet Shadow. Shadow, these are the warriors Sideswipe and Sunstreaker."  
"A pleasure." The grey and black femme said warmly.

The twins lowered their weapons, but still eyed Shadow warily.

"So what's goin' down at HQ? How's the team an' all that?" Jazz asked.  
"The guys are all fine, but Nightwatch and Scope are in for repairs. They lost an argument with an RPG." Shadow paused for a moment. "I'm guessing you need to go to HQ. I'd take you, but I'm on patrol. Talon will show you the way."  
"Who?"

Shadow grinned and held out her arm. There was a shrill whistle and a dark shape plummeted from the skies to perch on Shadow's wrist.

"A turbo-hawk? I didn't know they were still around." Sideswipe said in wonder as he stared at the mechanical avian.  
"He's not. Talon's my partner. While in the field he watches my back, and I watch his." Shadow explained. The 'hawk jumped off her arm and transformed in a Seeker style sequence into a small robot about knee high to regular sized mechs, trilling a greeting as he landed.

"I'll leave you to it." Shadow said. "See you back at base." She waved and stepped back into the gloom. There was a shift of gears, the sound of footfalls, and she was gone. Jazz turned to the patiently waiting Talon. "Well, lead the way." He said with a grin. Talon nodded and beckoned for them to follow.

"Hey Jazz, what was the whole business with the knife?" Sideswipe asked as the trio followed the tiny Autobot.  
"Eh, just a little runnin' joke." Jazz shrugged. "Started with m' first class back near th' start o' th' war."  
"Your 'first class'?" Sunstreaker asked, both optic ridges raised in surprise.  
"Yeah, command figured that it'd be good f' me t' train a few 'bots in basic Black Ops. One o' my lessons was t' teach 'em how t' sneak up on people. We practiced on each other." Jazz explained. "I've held a gun t' Shadow's head almost as many times as she's had a knife t' my throat." The twins exchanged a look but kept silent as they followed Talon through the ruins.

The bird bot led them through the remains of the industrial sector and down a hatch concealed under a half-toppled wall. After several minutes navigating a web of tunnels so convoluted that even Jazz became disorientated, they finally came to a blank wall. The visored mech tapped a certain spot on the wall to reveal a control pad. After entering a code, an irregular doorway opened up in the tunnel wall behind the group.

A sky blue jet-mech stuck his head out and sized up the group. "Well, what are you waiting for? A welcome mat? Get your afts in here!" He barked. Talon offered the trio a helpless shrug and gestured for them to go inside.

Once in the base, they were greeted by a dusty green mech with the stocky build of a truck type alt mode. "Hey, I'm Skywatch. Welcome to the base." He grinned, holding one hand out in the standard arm clasp greeting, which Jazz returned. "Name's Jazz. These two are Sunstreaker and Sideswipe." Jazz replied. "Who was Grumpy back there?"  
"Oh, him." Skywatch made a face. "That was Updraft. He gets like that whenever he's kept inside for too long; you get used to it. C'mon, Ultra Magnus is waiting for you."


	3. Learning the Op

Learning the Op

"This place is huge." Jazz marveled as Skywatch led them through a double set of blast doors and into the command center.  
"Yup. We're about a quarter of the way into the Third Level of Cybertron's crust." Skywatch explained. "I think this is about the best hiding place we've had for a while. I'll miss it when we make the next move. Ah, there's Ultra Magnus."

The mech in question was standing over a map table, deep in thought despite the activity around him.

Skywatch hurried over and quickly saluted. "Sir, the team from Earth has arrived."  
Ultra Magnus returned the salute. "Thank you Skywatch, dismissed." He said, then turned to the trio of newcomers. "Jazz, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, it's good that you're here."

"Good t' be here sir. So, what's th' op'?" Jazz asked. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker hung back slightly, not wanting to get in the way. Jazz knew what was going on and would explain it all to them later.

Ultra Magnus pressed a button on the map table, altering the display to a bird's eye view diagram of a formidable looking outpost. "This research facility is currently working on manufacturing a smaller version of the rail cannon suitable for the use of ground troops and Seekers, currently disguised as a military outpost. Our agent has been able to ascertain is that it is currently under the supervision of a scientist known as 'Mainhaul'. We've I.D'd two possible entry points in the sensor net, but they're both directly in the main patrol route." The towering Autobot explained, highlighting two areas of the diagram intersected by a red line that indicated a patrol.

"What kinda guards an' sensors we up against?" Jazz queried.  
"About 200 air and ground based guards, all pulled from Shockwave's personal battalions." Ultra Magnus replied. "It seems he doesn't want to leave anything to chance. There are multiple radio sinks and jamming towers, overlapping sensors covering everything from thermal to motion to audio signals, along with the standard camera units, perimeter guns and internal defences. We're waiting on our operative to gain access to the pass codes and sensor informationbefore we send you out."

"How come this guy ain't th' one t' blow the joint? Sounds like he's in a prime spot fer it." The black and white asked.  
"We are attempting to get him into Shockwave's inner circle." Magnus replied. "The best way to do so is that he remains above suspicion."  
"Brave bot." Jazz commented. "Takes some serious cast-iron manifolds t' go fer that kinda gig."  
"Indeed."  
"Unless there's anythin' else that we need t' know, is there somewhere we can crash fer a bit?" Jazz asked.  
"Yes, there should be some spare room in the barracks."  
"'K, we'll just mosey on along then." Jazz grinned, tossing off a salute before turning and leading the twins out of the command center.

"A rail cannon? For Seekers?" Sideswipe said as they passed through the thick alloy blast doors. "We'd be in serious slag if that ever happened."  
"That's why we got picked t' go throw some boom juice in th' works." Jazz replied.  
"Hey guys!" The trio half turned to see Shadow coming up behind them. "I just got in from patrol. Mind some company?" She asked as she fell into step.

"Not at all." Jazz grinned. "We were just headed t' get a lil' downtime 'fore Magnus calls us back for th' proper briefing."  
"Ok, there's some spare bunks in my team's dorm. You can use them if you like." Shadow offered.  
"Sure, it'll probably be safer anyway." Jazz replied. Behind his back, the twins exchanged a slightly startled glance. _'Safer?'_ Sideswipe mouthed.  
Sunstreaker shrugged. _'Better not ask.' _He mouthed back.

"You know, your record in the Street is still standing." Shadow said slyly to Jazz as she led them down a hallway.  
"It is? I thought someone woulda broken it ages ago." Jazz replied, visor flickering momentarily in surprise.  
"What's the Street?" Sideswipe asked. Shadow grinned and keyed open a door.

A perfect replica of a cluttered alleyway backing onto the southern wall of Shockwave's fortress lay within the room. "Welcome to the Street." Shadow said with a smile. "It's one of our training sims for infiltrator units. Goal is to get to that sensor node undetected." She pointed to a barely visible red light high up on the wall at the far end of the room.

"Care t' join me on a little practice run? Y'know, fer old time's sake?" Jazz invited.  
"Sorry, I'll have to pass." Shadow apologised. "My knee joints are bad enough as it is. Ferric'll have my head if he finds out I was running on The Street."  
"Who says he'll find out?" Jazz asked teasingly.  
Shadow gave him a pointed look. "This is Black-Op central Jazz, there are no secrets here."  
"True that." Jazz nodded, then exchanged his right hand for the grappling hook. "Well then, let's see if I still got the knack." He fired off the line and tugged once or twice to make sure it was secure.

All the twins could do was stand and gape as their companion suddenly seemed to take his leave of gravity and launch himself skyward.

"Woah." Sunstreaker breathed, watching the flickering silhouette of the saboteur weave in and out of the shadows, scaling walls, swinging from support beams and the occasional jutting bar, never once touching the ground.  
"Ditto." Sideswipe added. "I never knew Jazz was this good."  
"He's the best." Shadow said. "Jazz is the only mech to have successfully infiltrated Polyhex's command center on his own. He didn't even wait for HQ to arrange a diversion when he went in."  
"Why?" Sunstreaker asked.  
"Jazz would be the best person to answer that question." Shadow replied.

Silent as a whisper, Jazz reached the top of the wall, hooked his legs around a support beam, and reached out to deftly remove the sensor housing and deactivate it. With a flourish, he locked his grappling hook onto the beam and rappelled down.

"10.3 astroseconds." Shadow said as Jazz touched the ground. "That's 0.2 off your old record."  
Jazz beamed. "Yup, still got it." He grinned, forming his left thumb and forefinger into a gun, miming blowing smoke off the muzzle and holstering it.  
"Showoff." Sideswipe teased, cuffing Jazz's shoulder.  
"Hey dude, ya gotta have some fun in this job." Jazz replied with a jaunty grin.


	4. A little history

A little history

The dorm Shadow showed them to was fairly large, with five bunks lined up against one wall, a table and half a dozen chairs in one corner and a couple of messy work benches in the other. "You guys can use the two bunks on the far right." Shadow said. "I'll get you some energon. Be back in a little while."  
"Many thanks Shades." Jazz said as he hoisted himself onto a top bunk. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker claimed the other, stretching out and both feeling their joints pop. The femme waved and left.

Sideswipe rolled onto his side and propped himself up on one elbow. "Hey Jazz, we going to be doing any of that sneaking around stuff?" He asked. "Y'know, plantingbombs inside the baseand all that?"  
"Nah, it's not somethin' y' used t', and I ain't gonna throw you in th' deep end like that." Jazz replied. Both twins relaxed slightly, but were careful to not let the Porsche see it. Then Sideswipe tossed off another question. "Jazz, what did you mean by staying here is probably safer?"  
Jazz grimaced. "I shoulda warned ya earlier." He hauled himself upright and sat with his legs hanging over the edge of the bunk, ankles crossed.

"Black Ops an' Special Ops are a deadly kinda game, somethin' that most Autobot's ain't wired t' handle." He began. "T' survive, th' players gotta be a lil' outta sync with th' rest o' reality. Me, Shades an' a couple of th' others are probably some of th' more normal bots round here. Basic rules of survival- Don't look, don't point, don't ask, don't laugh an' don't tell." He gave each twin a hard look. "I'm serious 'bout this. I've seen one o' these dudes rip out another Autobot's optics just 'cause he asked 'im 'bout his accent."  
"Is that why you got out?" Sideswipe guessed.  
"Partially." Jazz replied somewhat evasively.

The dorm door slid open and a mottled brown mech stepped in.

"Well now, I see the has-been has returned to the site of his humiliation." The newcomer sneered. "And you've brought some wannabes with you for back up. How pathetic." He continued, eyeing the twins. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker bristled at the insults, but Jazz intervened before they could teach him a lesson in civility. The Porsche jumped down from his bunk and faced the mech, arms crossed and visor a dangerously dark blue. "Stop dreamin' an' live up t' your own rep insteada tryin' t' steal mine, Deck." He growled.

"What 'rep'?" Deck spat. "You're nothing but a washed up looser who couldn't hack it in the real game."  
"Y'know, I couldn't help notice that ya waited fer Shadow t' leave b'fore y' came in here t' insult us." The black and white observed dryly. "Could it be that th' great warrior Deck is afraid of a lil' femme?"  
Deck's optics narrowed. "I'm not afraid of anyone." He snarled. "Especially not that jumped up turbo-hound or any of her little try-hard teammates."  
Jazz shifted his weight to his right foot and tilted his head slightly, glancing at a point over Deck's shoulder. "Okay then, howsabout you say that t' her an' her CO's faces?"

Deck turned and found himself nose to chestplate with Nightwatch, the dark blue mech glaring down at the heavy-artillery gunner angrily. "Yes, why don't you?" The imposing officer growled. "I don't believe we caught that last comment."

The other mech faltered for a moment before scraping together his bravado. "Make me!" He growled, then turned and strode away. Jazz smiled as Deck broke into a run as soon as he was out of reach, then turned to the new arrival.

"Hey Nightwatch, good t' see ya." He said cheerfully.  
"Likewise." Nightwatch rumbled, holding out his arm in the standard greeting. "I ran into Shadow on my way out of Repair Bay. She tells me you're assigned to getting rid of that rail-cannon factory."  
"Ayup." Jazz nodded, then threw a questioning glance at Shadow.  
She gave a helpless little shrug and smiled. "Like I said Jazz, no secrets here."  
"Anyhow," Nightwatch continued, "We've already been chalked up for another mission, otherwise we'd lend you a hand."  
"Eh, no worries." Jazz replied with a shrug. "Anyhow, Sunny, Sides, meet a pal of mine- Nightwatch."

Nightwatch turned to Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. "You must be the twins. Your quite formidable reputation precedes you." He said, inclining his head slightly. "If there was time I would request a sparring session with my team, but I have no wish to dig myself deeper into Ferric's black list."

"Why's that?" Sideswipe asked curiously.  
"Well, y'know how th' Ratch-man always threatens t' turn us all inta digital alarm clocks or somethin' when we do somethin' kinda stupid?" Jazz asked.  
"Yeah, so?" Sunstreaker replied.  
"Ratch'll threaten it, but Ferric'll do it."  
"Really?" Sideswipe didn't sound convinced.

"I can vouch for it." Nightwatch spoke up. "Quite a while ago I once forgot that I had pulled the pin on a plasma grenade and ended up within astro-seconds of becoming Cybertron's first sentient nav-unit."  
"Yeah, it took a direct order from Ultra Magnus to get Ferric to fix him properly." Shadow added, then canted a cheeky grin up at her CO. "Though, I must say that his navigation has improved considerably since then."

Nightwatch groaned and rolled his optics while the other three laughed. "I'll give you that one." The tall mech chuckled. "But we have a team to round up and these three need to prepare for their mission. Let's go Shadow."  
"Yes sir." Shadow replied, tossing a canister of energon to Jazz and following her CO down the hall.


	5. Planning the Op

Planning the Op

Several hours later, there was a summons from Ultra Magnus and the trio re-entered the command center. The commander was again at the map table, waiting for them. "Jazz, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe." The giant Autobot said in greeting, nodding to each mech in turn. "Our agent has secured all the pass codes required, along with a map of the facility, geological scans and the duty roster."  
"Sweet. That'll make this job easier." Jazz grinned.  
"Hopefully so." Ultra Magnus keyed up the exterior view of the factory, then overlaid the schematics, scanner radii and patrol routes. "What do you see, Jazz?" He asked

Jazz scrutinised the diagram for a few minutes, one hand rubbing his chin in thought. "There's a gap here an' here." He murmured, thinking out loud. "Looks like a hole in th' route over here…nah, not that one. Maybe…" Jazz walked to the other side of the table and re-assumed his 'thinking' pose. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker watched the black and white with great interest. Though they had been called in to help Jazz with the occasional mission, they had never actually sat in on the planning of one.

"So far, looks as if a lil' distraction over here oughta draw enough attention t' get me in though th' gate an' inta this here vent shaft t' the power core." Jazz finally said. He pointed to the eastern wall. "Sides, there's a fault line running under this wall, if you can shake it up with th' 'drivers, then you an' Sunny draw a bunch a' folks through a gauntlet we'll set up over here," he pointed to a narrow canyon in the torn up landscape, "I can slip in th' west gate an' cause a lil' havoc with th' reactor, make it look like an industrial accident an' discredit this Mainhaul dude at the same time we tear up his factory."

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker exchanged a glance. "Sounds good to us." Sunstreaker replied.  
Jazz turned to the commander "Magnus?"  
"It looks risky. Are you sure you can pull it off?" The commander asked.  
"Dude, these two are just about th' deadliest 'bots ever built. They'll be fine." Jazz replied.  
"And what about you?" Magnus queried.  
Jazz shrugged. "Eh, it's nothin' new." He replied. "Anythin' else we need t' know about?"  
"Not at this moment."  
"Cool. Just gimme a minute t' copy th' map and we'll kit up for the op, be at the exit in 'bout an hour."

Their first stop was the armoury; the twins taking the opportunity to clean their weapons while Jazz browsed through the shelves of ordinance, picking out what he deemed as the appropriate missiles and ammunition for the job.

"So Jazz," Sideswipe said as he finished scrubbing off some carbon residue, "Why'd you get out of this gig anyway? No offence, but Special Ops seems to be a bit of a step down on the food chain around here."  
"Just wanted out." Jazz shrugged. Sideswipe opened his mouth to ask another question, but Sunstreaker quietly nudged him.  
"Leave it." He muttered. Sideswipe looked as if he were about to protest, but a warning look from his brother quickly silenced him.

After the armoury, the trio's next stop was the explosives lockers, where the Porsche proceeded to collect a fair sized case of demolitions equipment, along with standard issue bandoliers of grenades for both him and the twins.

However, there was a surprise waiting for them at the entrance. Nightwatch and his full team were waiting for them there, along with Skywatch and Updraft. Deck, however, was noticeably absent.

"Nightwatch, here t' see us off?" Jazz asked.  
"Sort of. We're headed south like you, got a supply depot to raid, and Skywatch and Updraft will be scouting near the Kailcon Arch. Because we'll all be headed in the same direction for a while, Magnus thought it would be good for us to travel together. Cybertron's changed a great deal since you were here last." Nightwatch explained.

"Any chance of a few introductions?" Sideswipe asked, winking at a dark orange femme standing in the group. She giggled in response, and a tall black mech stepped closer to her, wrapped one arm protectively around her shoulder and giving the red twin a warning glare that could have burned through steel plate. Nightwatch tactfully ignored the exchange.

"This is my team, the 116th Black Ops Squad." Nightwatch began, sweeping his arm towards his team. "Myself, Shadow and Talon you already know. Over here is Vibe, our comm-tech." He indicated the orange femme. "Next to her is Scope, sharpshooter. Over there is Caps, demolitions," A dusty green truck-type mech waved at them, "and finally there's Sharps, scout." A lean motorcycle-type mech raised one hand in acknowledgment.

"Well then, howsabout we get this show on the road?" Jazz suggested.  
"I thought you'd never ask." Nightwatch replied as he keyed open the security lock.


	6. On the Op

On the Op

The convoy headed out along the remains of the roads, forced to drive at an almost crawling pace along the shattered freeways. Because of the terrain Shadow and Talon scouted on ahead, while Updraft provided aerial cover and Skywatch, a Doppler radar truck, made sure the other three hadn't missed anything.

It was slow going until they reached the edge of the city. Here the streets were somewhat more intact and Sharps took point instead. About three megamiles out, Skywatch and Updraft fell out of formation for their assignment.

As they drove, Sideswipe studied Nightwatch's team curiously, striking up a bit of conversation here and there. Scope, some sort of light tank/troop carrier, was a mech of few words, each one surrendered reluctantly to the red mech. Vibe on the other hand was a chatty, cheerful, femme with a disarming smile she dispensed freely from her perch atop Scope, a shotgun in hand. The Lamborghini immediately pegged Caps as the jokester of the team, the missile truck cracking off hilarious little stories and jokes as the miles passed.

Though Talon continued to fly ahead, Shadow had caught a ride with Nightwatch not long after Updraft and Skywatch left, the femme riding shotgun on the ATV with a sniper rifle in hand. They seemed to be talking about something important, so Sideswipe left them alone and concentrated instead on Sharps. He sensed something off about the 'cycle, an observation soon confirmed by a private transmission to his twin. Neither brother could pin it down exactly however, but they had enough tact to not dig, especially after the warning Jazz had given them.

"_Our turn off's just ahead."_ Nightwatch radioed on the general frequency. _"Good hunting, mechs. Reach for the stars."  
_"_Aim for the moon."_ Jazz radioed back. _"Take care."  
_"_Copy that. One-Sixteens out."_ Nightwatch pulled off onto an exit ramp, and he and his team quickly vanished out of sight.

"Hey Jazz, what was that?" Sunstreaker queried.  
"What? Oh, the stars thing. Just something we say, that's all." Jazz replied, bouncing slightly on his shock absorbers in a shrug. "Rev down a bit guys, we gotta cool off 'fore we light up somebody's infra-red."

Their conversation lessened and their speed dropped as they travelled closer to the border. Jazz drove point, the twins close behind and so near each other that their wing mirrors almost brushed. But if the saboteur noticed, he didn't say anything.

"Looks pretty bad." Sunstreaker commented as they threaded through the remains of yet another demolished community. "Nightwatch wasn't kidding when he said Cybertron had changed."  
"Yeah. Even retro-rats are rare." His twin replied. Jazz remained silent as they passed through the ruins, and neither warrior wished to disturb the uncharacteristically solemn mech to inquire after his mood, choosing instead to back off a little and give him some room.

They neared a final rise and pulled over, transforming slowly to avoid alerting any nearby enemies with the characteristic sound. "Right, th' canyon's over there." Jazz pointed as they hunched behind the remains of a wall. "We rig that with the grenades. Plant 'em in pairs on opposite sides an' tie a line t' the pins."  
"So that when someone hits it, they go off and bring down the walls, right?" Sunstreaker guessed.  
"Exactly." Jazz nodded. "Sides, once ya loosen up that fault line, you and Sunny hoof it back up th' canyon an' pick off anyone who manages t' get through. After that, get down here." He pointed to a fissure just wide enough for the twins to jump into. "It leads into the tunnels. Strike out west, an' I'll meet ya in that last bombed out village we passed."

"Are you sure we can't help you when you get inside?" Sideswipe asked.  
"Trust me, y' already are." Jazz grinned.

The three of them set to work, planting the shrapnel, plasma and smoke grenades about a third of the way into the ravine. Luckily enough the walls were quite high and narrow at the top. Any Seekers wanting to claim an Autobot trophy would have to fly into the ravine to get them. Not that it reassured the twins that much. As far as they were concerned the purpose of an ambush was to draw out the enemy so that they could eradicate them, not draw them out to allow another Autobot throw himself into greater danger without proper back up; a concept that rankled them to no end.

Finally, the twins got into position and Jazz slipped away to prepare for his foray.

Sideswipe hunched behind a spike of half-melted rubble in what Jazz had assured him was a sensor dead zone. Sunstreaker was higher up, ready to provide cover for his brother. The factory/outpost had been built in the bottom of a shallow blast crater, leaving precious little cover. How Jazz was going to get even close to the walls without lighting up their sensor screens like a flare, neither twin could guess. Radio reception was spotty, even without the jamming and radio sinks. If a frontal assault was attempted, they'd be spotted as soon as they crested the lip of the crater.

Though it irked to admit it, the Decepticons had actually done something intelligent for once.

In the splutter of white noise on the radio, the twins suddenly picked up the signal- the letters G O hissed out in static using Morse code. Jazz was ready.

"Here goes." Sideswipe grinned as his arms shifted into pile drivers. But before he even had the chance to begin the ground around them suddenly shifted and buckled upwards, releasing a swarm of robotic drones. "Oh slaggit! AMBUSH!" Sideswipe yelled, trying to maintain his footing on the treacherous rubble even as his piledrivers were exchanged for arms. Further up, Sunstreaker picked off drones with lethal accuracy before they could reach his twin. Sideswipe summoned his gun from subspace and shot a single flare skyward, praying that Jazz would see it in time. Then both twins dove headlong into the fray, hoping to distract them long enough for Jazz to get out of danger.

There was a blinding burst of white light from the central tower of the outpost, then the warriors knew no more.


	7. Inside Job reposted

_Quick note for those of you who have already read the chapter before I reposted it. Just had a little whoops with the editing, please forget everything that happened after Side's and Sunny's little chat after the prison break embarrased blush_

Inside Job

"Sideswipe."

Someone was calling him. He pondered that thought for a moment, wondering who it was and what he should do about it.

"Sideswipe!"

Whoever it was, they were persistent.

"Uuhhnn." The red twin groaned as the urgent voice cut through the thick fog that muffled his thoughts. All sorts of error messages started popping up as he slowly levered himself up off the cool floor tiles and rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling until he could scrape together the wits to sit up and take a look around.

As he had expected he was in a cell, barely wide enough for him to lie down in. Energised bars blocked the entrance and formed one wall of his cell, and he didn't have to look to know that he'd already been disarmed and his subspace access had been cut off. A heavy transform lock was clamped to his back, further complicating matters. Great. No weapons, no alt mode, no pile drivers, and he felt like someone had staved his head in with a king-sized sledgehammer.

"Sideswipe!"

Sideswipe turned his head towards the sound, finally registering that his brother had been calling to him all along. Right now, Sunstreaker was kneeling the cell beside him, half reaching out to his twin but staying well clear of the crackling bars separating them. The russet warrior adopted a similar position as soon as he could get his legs to work.

The yellow twin didn't look to bad, all things considered. Even the set of parallel scorch marks from when he had probably full-body slammed the energy bars at some point would eventually buff out. "Are you okay?" Sunstreaker asked quietly.  
"Feels like Devistator stood on me again, but apart from that I'm fine." Sideswipe replied as lightly as he could. "What happened out there?"

"Focused EMP stun blast."

The twins looked in the direction of Jazz's voice as he walked to the front of his cell, situated across the hallway and opposite to theirs. They hadn't even noticed he was online, much less that he had been captured along with them.

"It hurts like heck th' first couple o' times, but ya get used t' it." Jazz continued. "Before ya ask, we got sold out. Someone in HQ relayed our plan to 'em. It's th' only way they knew how to catch us."  
"Deck?" Sunstreaker guessed. "He hates you enough to do it."  
"Nah, not him." Jazz shook his head. "Despite what he is, he's loyal to the core. It'll be someone else."

The twins took a moment to digest that.

"So…now what?" Sideswipe asked.  
Jazz sat down and smiled slightly. "Finish th' op, what else?"  
"But how?" Sunstreaker frowned. Jazz's smile grew wider as he worked a thin piece of metal free from his forearm and started prying at the seams on his lower right leg.

"Jazz? What are you doing?" Sideswipe asked, watching as the Porsche methodically disassembled the plating. To the warriors it looked like the black and white had finally cracked.

"It's th' Black Ops Survival Code, my man." Jazz grinned and started fiddling with the inner workings of his leg. "One, never trust th' pretty femmes who come outta nowhere. Two, always keep an optic on th' quiet ones. Three, if it's too good to miss you should ignore it, an' four, never go anywhere without packin' some extra heat."

Three laser knives and a set of vials clattered out of a shielded compartment in the Porsche's leg. He quickly picked them up and re-assembled his leg before crouching and carefully examined the wall around his cell entrance. "Keep watch, this'll take a couple of minutes." Jazz instructed. He carefully pulled the cap off one of the vials and with utmost care poured a little of the bluish fluid around the base of six of the bars. An evil sounding hiss came from the energised metal as it was slowly eroded away by the potent concoction. While the liquid did its work, Jazz reached behind his back and used one of the knives to hack at the transform lock. Finally something broke and the clamps retracted, the device clattering to the floor.

By now, the liquid had eaten through a good inch of the metal bars and their bases. With the circuit broken the bars were no longer 'live', so Jazz could safely bend them backwards and crawl out of his cell. The control panel at the far end of the hall proved no challenge and the twins were quickly freed. "C'mon, there's sure t' be alarms goin' off now and we gotta move!" Jazz ordered as the two warriors exited their cells.

"What the..!"

The startled exclamation came from the opposite end of the corridor, where a guard had just entered through a security door and spotted the escapees. Jazz swore and sprinted towards him, ducking into a roll as the startled mech started spraying the area with laser blasts and swung his free arm out to slap the intercom.

"Pris…" The guard trailed off into a wet gurgle as Jazz shot up out of his roll and lunged, his first two fingers spearing deep into the underside of his chin and ripping down to split the mech's throat open before hooking his fingers and tearing out the primary fuel line. Jazz snatched the dying guard's rifle out of his hand and shoved the body into one of the open cells. "C'mon, let's move!" Jazz barked, shaking off the worst of the fluid on his hand.

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker exchanged a hurried glance and quickly followed the Porsche through the maze of interconnecting hallways. "Wait here an' ditch those locks." Jazz ordered, pushing the twins back into a dead end hall and giving them two of the knives. "I'll check things out."

As soon as the black and white was gone, Sunstreaker turned to his twin. "Did you see that?" He demanded.  
"Yeah…" Sideswipe replied, bewilderment in his voice. "His expression, it was almost like he… _enjoyed_ it." He shuddered. "That wasn't Jazz."  
"Yes it was." Sunstreaker corrected, looking in the direction the Porsche had gone in. "That was definitely Jazz."


	8. Bringing the house down

Bringing the house down

It didn't take long for Jazz to return, this time with their weapons in hand. "Raided a locker an' found 'em." He said shortly, giving the twins back their guns. But the energon smears on his arms and carbon scoring along his sides told a different story. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker declined to comment however, deciding it wiser to leave the questions until later. Much, much later.

Jazz took point, half hunched as they dodged past guards and patrols. The wailing alarms had been silenced, but warning lights still flashed a vivid blue at every door and intersection, and armed mechs ran everywhere.

At one point, the black and white stopped and started running his hand along the purplish metal walls.  
"What are you looking for?" Sunstreaker asked, leaning in to help look while Sideswipe kept watch.  
"From th' schematics, th' generator room should be on this level, just in th' next compartment. Common fault in most outposts built like this isthatthe main power lines run just behind th' walls." Jazz replied. "Gotta find one so we can take out th' rest o' the guards. Ah, here we go. Hold this." He gave Sunstreaker his gun and proceeded to cut through the exterior plating of the wall with his knife.

When he had cut away a section large enough to put both arms through, he reached in and pulled out a loop of cable as thick as Sideswipe's arm. He scraped off the insulating cover from the cable, then ejected the secondary power pack from the stolen rifle, setting it aside while he fiddled with a detonator that he had picked up while 'raiding' the locker. Jazz turned towards the twins. "You two should get outta range. This is gonna be tricky, an' I don't wanna risk ya."

The brothers complied, backing down the hallway and around a corner. For about five minutes they could hear the Porsche working on his plan, whatever it was. All of a sudden the lights dimmed, but before either twin could remark on it there was a sharp detonation and the crack of an energy discharge. Blast doors started slamming shut further up the hall, then the lights died completely. Emergency lights flickered into life, wan and sickly.

"We're clear guys." Jazz called.

Warily, the twins emerged and slunk down the corridor to where they had left the black and white, the weak red lights casting strange shadows across their armoured forms. Jazz was waiting for them, standing in the middle of the main hall, a blown open containment door at his back and a huge carbon burn at his feet. Sideswipe glimpsed a number of charred body parts and the remains of the power cable pushed along the wall.

"What did you do?" Sideswipe asked curiously.  
Jazz offered a half-shrug and took his gun back from Sunstreaker. "It'll take too long to explain. C'mon, we gotta move."

They picked through the blackened ruins of the door and a checkpoint that had lain behind it, passing rows of empty laboratories, some with experiments still in progress. Evidently, someone had gotten word out about the prison break and hustled the scientists out of the danger zone.

Finally, they located the control room for the power core. Through the tempered glass windows they could see the banks of energy coils, raw electricity arcing between the two story towers of pulsing coils. "Controls are locked down." Sideswipe reported after a moment's worth of random button pressing.  
"Looks like it's been transferred to the command centre." Sunstreaker added.

Jazz surveyed the room, lips slightly pursed in thought. "Well, looks like we're gonna have t' take Caps' advice for this kind o' situation." He announced.  
"And what's that?" Both twins asked.  
Jazz grinned tightly. "If in doubt, break whatever looks most important." He pointed to a panel marked 'Thermal Dampening', then out the window at its corresponding apparatus. "That'd be pretty important, doncha think?"

The sabotaging itself was quite simple. Sideswipe smashed the window in with his fists and Jazz leaned out, carefully lining up his gunsights with the large high pressure pipes carrying freon gas back to the cooling plant. Sunstreaker meanwhile, busied himself with bypassing the security on their escape plan- an emergency evacuation chute leading to the outside walls. They'd have to hit the ground running but if the plan worked, everyone else would be too busy to worry about three battered Autobots hi-tailing it out of there.

"Ready yet?" Jazz asked. Sunstreaker crossed one final wire and the grate covering the chute hissed open.  
"We're good to go." He replied.  
"Alright, get ready for some fireworks."


	9. Mission over

Mission over

Jazz carefully checked his aim and squeezed the trigger three times in quick succession. The first shot grazed the thick pipe, the second cracked it, and the third split it wide open. Jazz then shifted his aim to the pipes carrying freon to the backup system and opened fire again. Klaxons started wailing as all sorts of indicators and gauges jumped to red zones.

"We're outta here!" Jazz yelled over the screech of gas whistling out of the breaches in the pipes. The three Autobots jumped down the chute one after the other, feet first and arms crossed over their chests as they shot down the tube, aided by the zero-friction fluid that coated the inside. Finally, the open mouth of the chute appeared ahead and they shot out, landing several meters away from the base of the wall.

They hit the ground hard, rolling with the impact. Sideswipe recovered first and yanked the other two to their feet, pulling them in the direction of the ravine. Behind them, the warning sirens of the outpost continued to rise in crescendo until finally the base exploded in a giant fireball, the shockwave tossing the three fleeing Autobots before it like leaves before a storm wind.

0o0o0

Sunstreaker awoke slowly, static filling his vision and slowly clearing away to reveal a smoke filled sky. He groaned and gingerly rolled to his feet, swaying slightly as he stood. He really didn't want to know how damaged his paint was after that little escapade; the damage reports scrolling across the side of his vision were bad enough.

A blackened and blistered Sideswipe lay sprawled not too far away, one arm twisted up behind his back in a position that could not have been comfortable. His vital signs were strong, so Sunstreaker rolled him onto his back and let him rest a little longer. Jazz was not much further away, the Porsche already online and sitting with his back against a chunk of rubble, holding his head in both hands.

The yellow twin looked back to where the outpost had been. A smoking black crater had replaced it, rubble scattered in all directions. He couldn't detect any life, but that was no reason to not be careful.

_Ch-chink_

"Freeze, Auto-scum." A deep voice snarled, accompanied by a gun barrel thrust into his back. Sunstreaker silently cursed himself for being so stupid as to rely on his scanners and not do a visual check. "Drop the gun, hands up." The mech behind him continued. The warrior reluctantly complied, his rifle clattering to the ground as he brought his hands up behind his head.

"Sunstreaker!" Sideswipe's cry was ample testament to his awakening and seeing the situation. The Decepticon roughly locked one arm around Sunstreaker's neck from behind and pulled the twin around until he was facing Sideswipe, the gun barrel moving to the side of Sunstreaker's helmet.

"Stay back." The Decepticon warned. "Any funny business and your pal gets it. Now on your feet, nice and slow, and keep your hands where I can see them." Sideswipe slowly got to his feet, optics narrowed to thin azure slits against his smoke-stained face. Nobody threatened his twin without sever repercussions, repercussions that the red twin was more than happy to dish out.

But Jazz beat him to it.

The black and white suddenly appeared behind the Decepticon, his left hand spearing into a chink in the shoulder joint of the gun arm. The 'con let out a sharp cry and the laser pistol dropped from his momentarily nerveless hand. Sunstreaker immediately capitalised on the opportunity, pulling to the left and twisting so that he could snake his right arm up behind the Decepticon's back and pinch a particular spot on the back of his neck, forcing the warrior to let him go.

As Sunstreaker stumbled and hit the ground, the Decepticon roared and lunged at Jazz. The Porsche dodged out of the way and tried to land a kick on his much larger and much stronger opponent as he passed. However, the damage had slowed Jazz's reflexes and the 'con was able to grab the outstretched foot and throw the Autobot to the ground and into a ditch, out of the twin's sight

The twins heard them fighting for a moment, then there was a sickening crunch. Warily, they drew their guns and edged towards the pit, unsure of what they would find.

To their relief, it was Jazz who was the victor, standing over the body of his opponent with a laser knife in hand. A narrow hole in the Decepticon's chest explained the defeat, a foul mixture of metabolised energon, hydraulic fluid and oil oozing out of the neat cut.

The black and white finally noticed his two spectators, subspaced the knife and climbed out of the pit, glancing at the still burning fortress before speaking. "C'mon guys, let's get outta here before any more 'cons find us." He said quietly, his face unnaturally grim. "I've got a cam shaft t' pick with Magnus 'bout all this."

0o0o0

The drive out of the base was nowhere near as tense as the drive back in. The twins could practically feel the emotions rolling off the blistered and dented Porsche, and backed off accordingly.

"_Jazz is furious." _Sideswipe quietly transmitted to his brother, half of his attention on the road and half on the officer ahead of them.  
"_No duh."_ Sunstreaker snorted.  
"_Why do you think?"  
_"_Dunno. Trust thing maybe."  
_"_Why?"  
_"_Guess 'cause he was trusting Magnus that all the info was there. Jazz doesn't like surprises, and that ambush was a doozey."  
_"_True."_

By the time they reached the entrance tunnel Jazz was nearly seething as they waited for someone to come up and escort them down. It wasn't immediately obvious, but to anyone who knew Jazz it was clear that someone betraying the close knit cadre of Autobots was more than a little rattling for him. Unconsciously, the twins backed off even further. This was not the Jazz that they were accustomed to.

Finally, the trio passed through the massive blast doors that guarded the command centre. Ultra Magnus was again at the map table, waiting for them.

"Magnus, we got sold out!" Jazz roared.  
The giant Autobot sighed and gestured for them to come closer. "I know. Our spy reported it some time after you left. You were already in the dead zone by the time we attempted to contact you."  
"Any idea who it was?"  
"Unfortunately, yes. It was Updraft. He shot Skywatch just after they left the convoy. Luckily for Skywatch the attack wasn't fatal and he was able to radio for assistance. Ferric is repairing him as we speak. And before you ask, I have dispatched a team to track Skywatch down and investigate how he was able to infiltrate the base. We'll be moving our base of operations as soon as the next site is located."  
"Fine. You'll get th' mission report in a few breems, but right now we've gotta get repairs." Jazz replied. Some of the anger had bled out of his voice and posture, but the twins could see that most of it still remained.  
"Understood. I'll contact Ferric and tell him you're coming. Dismissed."

Jazz tossed off a salute and led the twins back out. They were almost at the doors when Nightwatch hurried in, going straight to Ultra Magnus and saluting before murmuring a few words too quietly for the others to hear. The shock on the commander's face was evident, and he laid one hand on Nightwatch's shoulder before gesturing in the direction of his office.

"What's going on?" Sideswipe asked.  
"Let's find out." Jazz replied.

Outside, they found the rest of the 116's, all sitting or slouching against the walls in postures of dejection. Sunstreaker suddenly spoke up. "Where's Sharps?"  
"We lost him." Caps replied quietly. "Minefield."  
"An accident?" Sideswipe asked.  
"That's what the report will say." Shadow replied bitterly.  
"I see." Jazz said, his voice uncharacteristically grim. He very firmly took the twins by the shoulders and pulled them around the corner.

"Jazz? What's going on?" Sunstreaker demanded.  
"You boys wanna know why I got outta this gig?" Jazz asked. He jerked his head back in the direction of the grieving Autobots. "That's why. Sharps didn't die from no accident. He killed himself."

There was a moment's silence as Jazz let that sink in. Then he continued. "Back on Earth, during World War Two in th' prison camps, they had somethin' called going 'wire happy', when folks just couldn't take being locked up no more and they tried t' climb the fences, knowing that the guards would shoot 'em. Out here, we got somethin' called 'Ops happy', when a 'bot just can't take it no more, snaps, an' offs himself by doin' something like runnin' inta a minefield or triggerin' an auto-cannon. Like I told you b'fore, most bots aren't naturally inclined to this, it goes against our programming and causes conflicts. Remember what I did t' that guard?"

The twins nodded mutely. It wasn't something that could easily be forgotten.

"Well, out here I learned how t' do that and more. I won't deny it, but for a long while I loved my job. Then I realised what I was doing, how often I killed, and I came this close," he held up his left hand, thumb and forefinger a few centimetres apart, "this close t' going Ops happy like Sharps did. Only reason why I didn't was 'cause I couldn't bring myself to end it all. Then I heard that a Special Ops was needed for Prime's unit over in Iacon. Changed tracks, an' the rest you know."

Jazz spared one last glance in the direction of the mourning Autobots, the visor making his face unreadable. Sideswipe supposed that was why he kept that visor, to hide the emotions that he couldn't conceal. There were several rumours flying around the Ark as to why Jazz had a visor. It was common knowledge that he used to not need it, then something happened and he had it installed. Now a days everything bar a mech's central cortex, spark and laser core could be replaced or repaired as long as all three of the trinary core systems remained functional, so there was no reason to retain a visor if he'd needed it because of an injury.

In one of those rare flickers of insight, Sideswipe _understood_. For a moment all that he knew about Jazz's past and present fell into place and in that same moment he pitied the black and white for the burden that he gave himself to bear. He locked optics with his twin, sharing the revelation, and both silently swearing to keep it buried and preserve the Autobot's sanity.

"C'mon." Jazz said quietly, gesturing to the hall. "Let's go. These folks need some time."


	10. Meeting the Doc

Meeting the Doc

"So, what's Ferric like anyway?" Sideswipe asked, limping slightly as his damaged leg decided to protest it's treatment over the past day.  
"Ratchet's evil twin on steroids." Jazz replied without a hint of humour as they rounded the final corner. To the twin's surprise, the wall directly opposite the repair bay doors was well padded and there was a crash mat on the floor.

The reason became quite apparent when a mech suddenly came flying out the swinging doors, hit the wall with his shoulder and crumpled to the floor. A tall white jet mech came to help him up.

"Prithee, comrade, I believe that your exit from our esteemed healer's care would be far less violent in nature if you would refrain from insulting him whilst in his domain." The jet-mech advised.  
"Aw slag off Gauntlet." The other mech snarled, pushing him away and staggering down the hall. Gauntlet noticed the trio, offered a helpless shrug and hurried after the mech.

"Best behaviour, I mean it." Jazz warned. "This guy doesn't bother with seds if he wants ya t' shut it." He raised one hand and knocked on the door. It was immediately snatched open and a deep red mech with medic's brands on his arms glared down at them. Ratchet's evil twin on steroids indeed, this mech was at least a full head and shoulders taller than any of them and the scowl on his face was lethal enough to make Bruticus snap to attention.

Ferric's gaze drifted over them for a moment, mentally tallying up the damage. "You two the ones who keep giving Ratchet a hard time?" He growled at the twins.  
"Yes sir."The brothersmeeklychorused.  
"Good." Ferric grunted. "Always was a softy. Now, get your afts onto slabs, double time!"

Thankfully most of the repair work was minor, but by the end of it all three had sworn to never take Ratchet for granted again, foul temper, fouler mouth, deadly throwing arm and all. No matter how nasty 'ol Doc Ratch was feeling, unlike Ferric at least he still had a spark.

"Oooh, I don't know what hurt more, the busted piston or when he repaired it." Sideswipe groaned as he hobbled out of the repair bay. Though Ferric was unquestionably as good as Ratchet, his 'technique' left quite a bit to be desired.  
Sunstreaker grimaced, one hand pressed to his freshly welded side. "I hear you."  
"Ditto." Jazz grunted, also limping. "Should stop hurting in a bit, just a question of walking it off." He advised. "Let's head back t' the dorm, we've got some reports t' write."

0o0o0

Deck was waiting for them as they returned, leaning on the wall beside the 116's dorm with a twisted smile on his face. "So, I hear you had to kill a couple of guards." Deck smirked. "How did it feel to take a life with your own hands again Jazz? Was it like how you remembered? I seem to recall you saying how much you liked hand to hand combat training."

Jazz stopped and slowly turned towards the heavy artillery truck, his lips pressed into a thin line. The twins, having had a glimpse of what Jazz was capable of, drew back slightly. They didn't need to be able to see his optics to know that they were narrowed down to thin, angry slits. Deck had just pushed the wrong button at the wrong time.

It happened too quickly for the twins to see. One moment Jazz was facing the smirking mech, the next Jazz had him pinned to the wall, one hand wrapped around Deck's throat and their faces centimetres apart. Metal creaked as Jazz tightened his grip. "For your information, yes it was." Jazz replied in a low growl, his accent swallowed by the venom in his voice. "It was exactly like how I remembered." Deck gagged as the black and white's fingers began to crush the vital energon lines in his neck.

Surprisingly, it was Sunstreaker who intervened. He reached out and laid one hand on Jazz's shoulder. "Are you there Jazz?" He asked cryptically.

Jazz looked at him, then back at Deck. "Yeah, I'm here." He replied finally, then released Deck, turned, and entered the dorm. The twins lingered for a moment, waiting until the black and white was gone before they acted. Black Ops may have been out of their usual scope, but dealing with self-important wannabe cowards was nothing new.

Sideswipe easily picked Deck up by his shoulder guards and slammed him into the wall, pinning him as he and his brother leaned in much closer than Jazz had. "Count yourself lucky that Jazz has a conscience." Sideswipe hissed.  
"Because we don't." Sunstreaker finished, his sculpted face a mask of anger. "Trust us, it's surprising what you can live through. Now back off."

With an expression of distaste, Sideswipe released their captive and let him fall to the decking with a dull clang, turning on his heel and striding away. Sunstreaker paused, looming over the prone mech for a moment with slitted optics before following his twin.


	11. Questions Answered

After the de-brief and handing in their reports, the twins headed back to the dorm while Jazz went off to try and find Nightwatch. The brothers didn't argue, knowing the black and white was doing one of the things that he was best at- helping others.

Thankfully, or perhaps regrettably, Deck was nowhere to be found as the warriors made their way back to the dorm. After the stress of the mission they could have done with a little relaxation, but neither Ultra Magnus nor Ferric would have approved of using the heavy artillery unit as a punching bag.

However, the dorm was already occupied by the time the twins returned.

Shadow sat on one of the bottom bunks, slowly whittling a short metal bar with a laser scalpel, while Talon was perched on the crossbar, head tucked under one wing as he recharged. Judging by the small pile of shavings at Shadow's feet, she'd been at it for some time.

"Oh, uh, sorry, we'll go." Sideswipe apologised, trying to back out the door without bumping into his twin.  
"No, it's okay. Come in." Shadow replied quietly, subspacing the 'scalpel and the remains of the bar. The twins glanced at each other, shrugged in unison and entered, making a beeline for their bunk.

That was when Sunstreaker noticed a pair of legs sticking out from behind one of the workbenches. "Who's that?" He asked, gesturing in the direction of the legs.  
"Reverb, one of Sharps' friends." Shadow replied. "He overcharged on energon, needed someplace safe to pass out."  
"Right." Sunstreaker decided it was best to let the matter drop at that.

Shadow listlessly roamed around the dorm for an hour or so, sifting through the myriad of things scattered around the room and checking on Reverb every now and then. Jazz hadn't turned up yet, so the twins dozed most of the time. Shadow eventually returned to her berth and stared at the bottom of the bunk above hers for a while. Talon didn't stir.

Sideswipe decided that he'd had enough of the silence, so he rolled onto his side and ventured a question that had been nagging at the both of them for some time now. "Hey Shadow?" he asked.  
"Yes?"  
"What's the deal with Deck and Jazz? Is it a rivalry, or a pride thing? And what does Deck do here anyway, other than insult people?"

Shadow sat up and looked over at them, one corner of her mouth twitching in a smile. "I was wondering when you'd ask." She said. "Truth be told, I don't know much." She offered a half shrug. "Most of it was before my time here. By then Jazz had already left the Black Ops. My best guess is that it's only partly a pride thing."

She had their full attention now.

"Deck's our short-term infiltration unit." Shadow began. "He's the best we've got. If there's a convoy or garrison that's got something we want, he's the mech we send in." She grimaced slightly. "It's probably the only reason why he hasn't been slagged yet. But the thing is that position used to be held by Jazz."  
"So Deck's jealous about being second choice?" Sunstreaker asked.  
"Not quite. Did Jazz warn you about some of the 'bots around here?"  
"Yup." Sideswipe nodded.

"Well, Deck's one of 'em, obviously." She shifted position slightly. "He and Jazz used to be good buddies. They were a combat team for a while as well. As far as I can tell, when Jazz told Deck he was getting out, Deck objected to the idea. They fought, and Jazz pretty much wiped the floor with him."

"So, let me get this straight." Sideswipe started ticking issues off on his fingers. "Deck's embarrassed that he got smeared by a guy half his size, he feels betrayed because his best friend left the unit, and he doesn't like it that he was second choice for the job?"  
"That pretty much sums it up." Shadow nodded. "The insults and whatnot are his way of getting revenge."  
"But it was six millennia ago!" Sideswipe protested. The idea of holding a grudge that long just didn't make any sense to him.  
"So?" Shadow asked. "Deck's not normal. He probably remembers it like it was last solar cycle."

The twins leaned out of their bunks and exchanged a look.

Sunstreaker shrugged. "I still don't get it."  
"Join the club." Shadow replied. Her radio warbled and she touched one hand to the side of her head for a moment. "That was Nightwatch. I'll be back later." She said, prodding Talon into wakefulness. The avian fluttered up onto her wrist and the two quietly left.


	12. Final Moves

Final Moves

"Shadow, calm down."  
"Why? It's not like I've been insulted or anything!"

Both twins looked up as the furious yell preceded the entry of one very ticked off femme. Shadow stalked into the dorm and started picking things up and stuffing them into subspace. Talon jogged in after her and began helping, while Jazz lingered at the doorframe.

Sideswipe edged over to the black and white, not wanting to catch the femme's attention. "What happened?" he asked quietly.  
Shadow answered for him. "I'll tell you what happened." She growled, obviously incensed. "Nightwatch just had us transferred to the Medical Corps, Search and Rescue to be exact. We're being shipped out to Halohex right after the memorial service!"  
The red twin winced. Even Sunstreaker wasn't that insensitive. "That's harsh."  
"You're telling me." The femme snarled, optics dark with rage. She snatched a dagger off a workbench and in one smooth motion flung it at a crude caricature of Shockwave on the rear wall of the dorm, impaling the image though the optic.

Jazz rested one hand on her shoulder as she reached for another knife. "Shades, if you'll calm down I'll 'splain things t' ya." He soothed.  
"Fine." Shadow snapped. She switched off her optics, pulled several deep gasps of air through her vents and relaxed her shoulders before switching her optics back on. "Okay, explain."  
"Nightwatch is tryin' t' protect you by getting you outta here as soon as possible." Jazz answered. "He doesn't want you t' go Ops happy as well."  
"I can take care of myself." Shadow growled. "I'll be fine."  
"No you won't." Jazz rebutted. "Trust me on this Shadow, and trust your CO."

Shadow glared at him, yellow optics narrowed. Jazz calmly returned her gaze. Finally Shadow sighed and looked away. "I'll do it. But I don't agree with it." She muttered.  
"I don't expect ya to." Jazz replied. "C'mon, we've got a memorial t' go to."

The ceremony was held in a small chapel in the lower levels of the base. The only illumination in the room was a single plasma flame, twisting and bobbing inside a small containment field atop a tall narrow pedestal in the centre of the room. Two brass strips ran along the white walls, one optic level for average sized 'bots and the other for Minibots, both inscribed with passages from the Covenant of Primus. Surrounding the centre pedestal were six octagonal pillars of black metal, the names of the deceased engraved down the sides of the pillars with a small stud next to each name.

Silently, the remainder of the 116's, Jazz, the twins, Ultra Magnus and a few other bots who could be spared from the relocation effort filed into the room. Nightwatch stood beside one of the octagonal pillars, the shifting light from the plasma flame behind him casting his face into shadow. He reached out and touched the stud next to Sharps' name, triggering a hologram of the mech. "We are here to remember Sharps." He began. "A good mech, a brave warrior, and a true friend. The grieving commander turned to the pillar and ran his fingers over the dead mech's name, head bowed. "I'm sorry I failed you Sharps. I should have seen it coming."

One by one, other Autobots offered short tributes to the fallen scout. Necessity meant that the ceremony had to be curtailed until there was an opportunity to have a full memorial. After the tributes a prayer for peace was offered up to Primus, there was a moment of silence and the mourners dispersed.

"What a way t' end a mission." Jazz murmured, shaking his head slightly as he watched Shadow exchange a few words with her team and jog down the hallway, Talon gliding just above her head. The twins remained silent, unsure of what to say in reply.

Ultra Magnus beckoned to the trio. "Your transport back to Earth will arrive at your original drop off point." The large warrior began. "I regret having to send you away like this, but it would be best if you leave as soon as possible."  
"Understood Magnus." Jazz replied, glancing over at the twins. "You guys got anything back in th' dorm? No? Okay then, we're outta here."

0o0o0

As the trio of warriors walked out of the ruins of the shattered city, the twins noted a visible change in Jazz's demeanour, as if a great weight had slipped off his back as the grim expression he had developed finally gave way to the old jaunty smile. His legs swung in the familiar swagger, and he started humming again, all things that had slowly vanished the longer that they had been in the base.

The significance was not lost on the twins.

"_Jazz must've been under a lot in there."_ Sunstreaker quietly radioed to his brother.  
"_Yeah. Good we got out quick then."_ Sideswipe replied. There was a pause as he considered something. _"We're probably going to have to tell Prowl everything that happened in our reports. Y'know, all that other stuff."  
_"_Yeah. But he'd only be interested in the mission-related stuff." _Sunstreaker pointed out.  
"_True. You think we should ask Jazz about some of the things he was talking about before? Like Deck and what he used to do?"  
_"_Later, a lot later. And with plenty of high-grade."  
_"_Agreed."_

There was another pause.

"Y'know, there were some cute femmes in that base."Sideswipe said aloud. "Really nice curves on that Vibe one."  
Sunstreaker laughed and clapped his twin over the shoulder. "You never change, do ya Siders?"  
"Nope. And neither do you, I saw you look." Sideswipe grinned and ducked a playful swat from his brother.

Jazz listened to the exchange with half an audio and smiled as he watched Omega come in for a landing. Everything was back to normal again, which he quite preferred. "C'mon guys, let's jet." He said, waving an arm in Omega's direction. "I've got me a hankering for asphalt and blue skies. It's 'bout time we got home."

Fin


End file.
